Time to look ahead , Rebuild the fortress

India have slipped to a massive defeat at the hands of the Aussies, and I wait with expectation and disgust, disgust not because of the performance of the team, but at the remarks the cricket team is going to get, not just from the general public, but from some parts of the media as well. Heads are going to be called for, some may even want a change of leadership,Laxman is not going to be special anymore, doubts will be raised over the quality of the Indian team.I totally disagree with all these people.

True india have performed way below par and have disappointed their millions of fans. We are not the only team to whom this happens. Australia were beaten very convincingly indeed in the Delhi test of 1996 and in the first 2 tests of the 1998 series.South Africa, for long considered as the rivals on par with the Aussies were given a thrashing both home and away in what was considered the world championship.Since then Southafrica have never been the same. I'm confident though,that India will not suffer the same fate. Lack of effort has not been the reason for our loss.Australia have been thoroughly professional and have come very well prepared indeed. This is India's 2nd loss in a home series for the past 18 years,come on guys give them a break.All good teams go through bad phases.A team with batsmen of the quality that we have cannot underperform for long, and the way this series has gone for us, we can only improve.



While one doesn't need a rocket scientist to figure out that India haven't been at their best in this series, if you think carefully, a series of events have worked against Team India. Most of you might say these are just excuses, but they simply aren't , these are valid points.At the end of the day what matters is that we lost the series, but then again it is wise to analyse the performance rather than just go bezerk with adjectives against the Indian team.

The absence of Sachin Tendulkar, definitely had an impact on the Indian team in the first 2 games. Tendulkar did fail in the Nagpur test, but the little maestro was one of the few Indian batsman who were in form during the onedayers, and there wasn't a solid look to the batting order as there usually is in his presence. In the first test in Bangalore, India were outplayed by Australia but there were several umpiring decisons which went against India. In Chennai, India came back very well and were all set to square the series with a win which would have given them much confidence when the rain came down to spoil the final day of a fascinating test match. India went into the nagpur test boosted by the return of Tendulkar,only to find on the morning of the game that their captain was injured, and that Harbhajan Singh wouldn't be playing too. Right from the time Dravid lost the toss (Australia have won all 3 tosses in this series so far), it went downhill for India.

This brings us to the issue of the pitch! Saurav Ganguly must be feeling furious right now. Will any curator, in his right sense of mind, provide the Aussies with a pitch which has seam and bounce, conditions they thrive on? When we play at home, it is only fair that we have the home advantage. If the home team ask for a pitch which will assist spin, THEN YOU GIVE THEM a pitch which will assist spin. This, more than anything else, contributed to India's downfall in the test.The last thing batsman not in form want is the ball seaming and swinging in all directions. True McGrath and Co bowled a simply superb spells with some unplayable balls but giving them the pitch they got was to shoot ourselves in our own foot.

We now have to look ahead, there is still a test match left, and although it is a dead rubber, India have a lot to play for. Some changes will have to be made though. Parthiv Patel, although his batting has been resourceful, must be asked to play domestic cricket to improve his wicketkeeping spells. In my opinion, Dinesh Kaarthick, has looked the best amongst the keepers (considering the wicket keeping ability alone) and should be given a chance.



Akash Chopra and Yuvraj Singh haven't looked in any sort of form, and India should ideally replace them without an opening bat and another middle order batsman. For the opening spot,I would like to see Sadagopan Ramesh, who did not do much wrong before he was dropped, given a recall. Ramesh is a fluent batsman who loves a battle and will definitely be a wise choice. As for the middle order spot, I say we need to include another batsman only because Saurav is injured and Tendulkar is just back from an injury. On the morning of the match we don't want to be a batsman short. Hemang Badani is another player who has been waiting in the wings and should be included in the squad as a standby in case of an injury to a middle order bat.Badani is a player who does the basics right,is a very good runner between the wickets and fields brilliantly.


Ramesh and Badani
A test recall for them two?
Picture by Karthik



The bowlers have done splendidly in this series, with Harbhajan and Kumble having some outstanding performances yet again. Pathan and Khan ,have at different stages in the series, bowled with plenty of fire. The Lack of runs is definitely the reason for the series loss, bowlers might be the ones to win you games, but you need the runs on the board for that.
We need to remain positive, and I for one will keep my faith in this team. It is a team going through a bad phase, and doesn't have Lady luck on its side and needs all the support that can be given.
Karthik